The committee is discussing the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016 (Register of Persons Holding a Controlled Interest in Land) (Scotland) Regulations 2021 with Land Reform Secretary Roseanna Cunningham.

The Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016, external requires ministers to make a public register to improve transparency of land ownership and controlled interest in land.

These regulations would allow for the creation of such a register.

Asked about onshore wind, Lord Deben highlights that wind is now the cheapest way to generate energy.

He urges the government to spell out to the public what the cost of other alternatives would be to the taxpayer.

The CCS chair says the targets will be tough enough to deliver without excluding wind and carbon capture technology.

He adds that without CCS, all gas would have to be removed from the grid much more rapidly.

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is crucial and necessary to delivery what we need, Lord Deben says.

The alternatives are very expensive and very difficult, he adds.

However, he suggests the UK government has wasted time in getting to this point where it is recognising the importance of CCS.

Image source, GETTY IMAGES

The UK is taking a tentative step towards a radical "green" future with zero emissions of greenhouse gases.

The UK government is formally seeking Committee on Climate Change guidance about how and when to make this leap.

If it happens it would mark an extraordinary transformation of an economy built on burning fossil fuels.

The decision was prompted by the UN report warning that CO2 emissions must be stopped completely to avoid dangerous climate disruption.

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Green MSP Mark Ruskell asks about legislating on land use in terms of agriculture.

Lord Deben says a voluntary-only arrangement is not the future, arguing that we will not solve problems without a tough statutory background.

However, he warns against being prescriptive without looking at voluntary processes first as this can cause problems with lining up what is statutory and what is possible.

I am very cynical about setting targets that go beyond the timescale of the politician that implements them, Lord Deben admits.

Image source, Thinkstock

The Scottish government is to seek fresh independent advice on its climate change targets after the latest warning on rising global temperatures.

An international report, external has said the world is currently heading for a 3C rise, way above the 1.5C target.

A coalition of charities has called on Scottish ministers to strengthen the forthcoming Climate Change Bill.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said action was a "massive priority" but Scotland's record was "exemplary".

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• Read more here

The committee is now hearing from Lord Deben, chair of the Committee on Climate Change, external (CCC).

The CCC is tasked with advising the UK and devolved administrations on emissions targets, as well as reporting on progress.

Lord Deben begins by highlighting how Scotland continues to be ahead of the rest of the UK with regards to targets.

Emissions in transport and agriculture are the two key areas which now need to be tackled, he adds.

He accepts that some actions will be "enormously difficult".

But other actions are possible, such as reducing disease in farming which would boost productivity.

Just a week after scientists said huge cuts in carbon emissions were needed to protect the climate, a UK minister has shown just how hard that will be.

Scientists say we ought to eat much less meat because the meat industry causes so many carbon emissions.

But the climate minister Claire Perry has told BBC News it is not the government's job to advise people on a climate-friendly diet.

She would not even say whether she herself would eat less meat.

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What happens now really will effect what will happen over the next 20-30 years, Andy Kerr from ClimateXChange (CXC) says.

He argues that decisions taken in the next five to 10 years may be more important than the long-term targets.

Asked about emissions in agriculture, Mr Kerr says not all sectors will be required to reach net zero but these difficult sectors must be balanced using other methods, such as reforestation.

Labour MSP Alex Rowley asks if legislating for targets is necessary.

ClimateXChange's Andy Kerr praises the monitoring and evaluation framework that exists in the UK and Scotland.

He also argues that the rapid changes in technology costs means we are seeing opportunities to deliver cost savings and social benefits, as well as hit environmental targets at the same time, Mr Kerr says.

Mr Rowley asks about sanctions if targets are missed.

The ClimateXChange representative says there is no overarching body to apply penalties internationally.

We can monitor but we do not have a formal mechanism for imposing sanctions, he adds.

Image source, Getty Images

Scientists have described the serious concept of "Hothouse Earth".

An international team of researchers suggest that global warming will have severe consequences for the planet.

They paint a picture of boiling hot climates and towering seas in years to come if temperatures rise by just 2C.

That means it could turn some of the planet's natural forces - that currently protect us - into our enemies.

Dr Sarah Cornell is an environmental scientist and one of the researchers behind the report for the Stockholm Resilience Centre.

She's described some of the big changes which could happen with a 2C temperature rise - which is the globally accepted amount, according to the Paris climate agreement.

Read more here.

Labour MSP Claudia Beamish asks if setting net zero emissions would "send a clear message to investors".

"We do feel the report has changed the conversation," replies Mr Skea.

The IPCC representative says a target would "wake people up", but he also argues it would need to be backed up by more specific policies and short-term ambition.

Green MSP Mark Ruskell wonders if interim targets would be appropriate, in addition to the long-term target.

Mr Skea reiterates that long-term targets are not enough and action plans are needed.

He recommends looking at carbon dioxide removal which could help offset emissions.

Matt McGrath
Environment correspondent, BBC News, Paris

Image source, Getty images

BBC environment correspondent Matt McGrath outlines five key takeaways from one of the most important reports on rising temperatures issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Their study, on the impacts and possible methods of keeping temperatures from warming by more than 1.5C,was launched in South Korea earlier this month.

There's no doubt that this dense, science-heavy, 33-page summary is the most significant warning about the impact of climate change in 20 years.

Read more here.

Convener Gillian Martin asks if the targets set out in the Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Bill, external are appropriate.

Mr Skea says Scotland should be aiming for earlier than 2040 for net zero emissions.

Asked about feasibility, he says existing investments would have to be written off early which would have economic implications.

It's the final call, say scientists, the most extensive warning yet on the risks of rising global temperatures.

Their dramatic report on keeping that rise under 1.5 degreesC, external says the world is now completely off track, heading instead towards 3C.

Keeping to the preferred target of 1.5C above pre-industrial levels will mean "rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society".

It will be hugely expensive - but the window of opportunity remains open.

After three years of research and a week of haggling between scientists and government officials at a meeting in South Korea, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has issued a special report on the impact of global warming of 1.5C.

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Tory MSP Finlay Carson begins the session with a question on the IPCC's recent report, wondering if sufficient action prior to 2030 is possible to mitigate a rise in global temperatures.

The IPCC's Jim Skea says the warming rate would be reduced if action is taken to reduce emissions now, so it would be possible to keep from going over the 1.5C target.

The level of sea level rise and intensity/frequency of weather events are the biggest issues likely to face Scotland, he explains.

Though he adds it is difficult to come to robust conclusions about the specifics of effects as the report focused on global impacts.